Gadgets

One thing that has always fascinated petrol heads (or actually most people in general) is the concept of a ‘hoverboard’ or ‘hover car’. The idea of literally hovering above the ground as a mode of transport is an exciting prospect and one that we have only seen in sci-fi films. Until now that is.

Chris Malloy, an Australian designer based in London, has come up with something called a ‘hoverbike’ – and while it’s not a hovering skateboard or a hovering car, it’s pretty much as close as we’ll get to any ‘hovering’ mode of transport.

The Hoverbike concept is kind of like a cross between a motorbike, a four-wheeler and a drone quad-copter. And it really does look as though it just came off the set of the latest Star Wars film.

The Hoverbike uses spinning rotors on both the front and back side of the machine. These create enough energy for the Hoverbike to actually lift off the ground. (more…)

Well this certainly looks like something from a sci-fi superhero movie!

Jaguar Land Rover recently unveiled their concept for a virtual reality windscreen to be fitted in your actual car. Given you drive a Jaguar or Land Rover, of course. The idea revolves around a type of augmented reality, implemented in the windscreen of your car. And while it might sound a little strange (and dangerous, let’s be honest) it does have some pretty cool features.

The windscreen is,as they call it, an interactive display that offers the drivers various features while on the road.

One of the best features of the windscreen, is its ability to provide you, as the driver, with virtual racing lines that change colour. The colours change in order to show you the best braking positions, mostly on hard, steep curves or bends on the road. (more…)

Renault’s new concept car is so modern and futuristic, you would swear that it came straight out of a sic-fi film. However, that’s not the case – this car is the result of months of imagining, re-imagining and design by Renault designers worldwide.

The Renault Kwid is the company’s new concept. It was first introduced at the 2014 New Dehli Auto Expo in India. The car itself is also inspired by India, and designed to fit into the small roads across India.

The car itself is a small SUV, with super modern designs on both the exterior and interior. Renault says they plan on putting a 1.2 liter turbocharged engine inside the Kwid – so it won’t be too slow either. (more…)

We all know the feeling: driving on a highway, at 120km/h+, when suddenly, you find yourself stuck behind a slow moving truck.

You sigh, take a deep breath, and then gently swerve to the right to try and see if the road is clear for you to pass the damned truck. Whilst mostly this works, and you can time your pass efficiently, it is nevertheless quotes dangerous.

How cool would it be of you could just see through the truck or bus in front of you and then make youor quick exit? Well, if thi snew gadget is anything to go by- you CAN! (more…)

We know that if you have an internal problem with your body your doctor would recommend either an X-Ray or a CT scan. And now it seems the same technology will be used on crashed cars to help analyze and determine what caused them to crash.

Computed Tomography (CT scan to you and me) has long since helped many a human, and now the Fraunhofer Development Center would like to do the same for crashed cars.

The center is using the biggest CT scanner they can get their hands on to analyze the wrecks. Naturally, a standard, hospital-sized one will not cover an SUV…

Fraunhofer has said that the CT scan will provide analysts with an in-depth, 3D view of the wreckage without hamoering or disrupting anything. Thus leaving the wreckage in it’s ‘original’ state. (more…)

In addition to improving safety, Mercedes Benz‘s new active seatbelt buckle also eliminates the annoying practice of trying to buckle up when the connecting clips have fallen between or been pushed down the cars seats.

The seat belt buckle doesn’t only come with bright glowing LEDs to easily secure yourself, particularly in the dark, but also comes equipped with a motorized system that extends the buckles upwards as much as 2.8-inches, so they’re hard to miss and easier to use. For enhanced safety in the event of a crash, the active seat belt buckle also works in reverse, slightly retracting after impact so it holds the passenger more securely.

The new system will be implemented in Mercedes Benz’s more luxury models in the near future but will hopefully be available for Daimler’s more affordable models so the general public can also benefit from this great innovation.

The Click Car Mouse and USB Stick range that has recently launched in South Africa lets you hold the car of your dreams from a Maserati GranTursimo to a pearl white Fiat 500 in the palm of your hand.

Licensed by the car manufacturers, the Click Car Mouse is a miniature near perfect replica of the real cars they’re modelled on. They are designed to a very high technical standard using only the highest quality materials. Most models are available in both wired and wireless versions.

CarBlog received the Range Rover Evoque Mouse and Mercedes Benz 300 SL USB Stick to test out. The Wireless Optical Evoque Mouse comes packaged with a nano receiver and battery. Once setup, the mouse can either be turned on (either with or without rear and headlights depending on how much battery you’re willing to use up) or off when not in use. It has a 10 metre range and adjustable high-res optical for 800dpi and 1600dpi.

After using it for a couple of hours, the Mouse slowly began to feel uncomfortable with the angled lines of the Range Rover not exactly conducive for the natural round shape of my palm. Sometimes, my finger would even get caught underneath the right hand side mirror. As a result, I would prefer a car with smoother contours – an Aston Martin DBS perhaps. However, it is important to be aware that my hands are smaller than most and may result in a different experience for someone else. The mouse works optimally on a pad as wheels, unfortunately, do not move.

Ford is teasing its 2013 Fusion via mobile apps which fans can download for iPhone or Android by pointing the camera of the device at the Ford logo either from a car, online or an image in a magazine. Once the the app has read the logo, it activates a 360 degree version of the new model, which users can use for a virtual driving course.

The app will offer new courses and video clips featuring interviews from the creators of the car every day from Wednesday until the hybrid vehicle is revealed at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. As expected, Users can also share photos from the app via Twitter and Facebook.

Ford’s goal is to keep enthusiasts and fans engaged, active and creating a buzz on social networks as part of the build up to the car’s launch while still maintaining some secrecy of the car’s look and design details.